Portable copying-press



' (No Model.) Y

J; H. ANDERSON. PORTABLE COPYING PRBSS.

r No. 417,878. Patented Dec. 1'7, 1889.

... K QQ UNITED lSTATES PATENT Fries.'

.lOl-IN H. ANDERSON, OF MOORHEAD, MINNFSOTA.

, PORTABLE COPYI N Gy- PRESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 417,378, dated December 1'7, 18289.

Application filed August 19, 1889. ASerial No. 321,22 3. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern.-

.Be it known that I, JOHN H. ANDERSON, of Moorhead, in the countyof Clay and State ofMinnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Portable Copying- `Presses; and I do hereby declare that the following is av full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will' enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which i'ormpart of this specification. A

My invention relates to certain improvements in portable copying-presses.

The object of theinventionis .to provide a portable copying-press exceedingly cheap, simple, and durable in construction, composed of a minimum number of strong parts, overcoming certain disadvantagesand defects in the presses of this kind heretofore in use, and which shall be very quick and easy in operation, wherein a uniform pressure will be applied to the letter throughout, and hence a perfect, complete, and uniform copy obtained, and wherein the letter-copying paper, circ., can be easily placed upon the roller or cylinder within the pressure-sheet without catching or bending the paper or moving the same out of place. These objects are accomplished by, and my invention consists in,.certain novel features of construction and in combinations of parts more fully described hereinafter, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the press `with the pressure sheet or shell upon the same, showing the screw clamping device. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the pressure-sheet in its normal flat condition in :readiness to receive the letter and copyingpaper. Fig. 3 is a cross-section through the press with the pressure-sheet thereon, showing the removable bearing. Fig. 4 is a crosssection of the cylinder with the present sheetI thereon, showing ahollow cylinder.

In the drawings, the reference-letter a indicates a cylinder or roller constructed either of wood or of a hollow steel or iron tube, as most desirable, and preferably of such diame` ter that its circumference will be greater than the width of the paper from which duplicates are generally to be taken. v

The pressure-sheet Z9 in its normal condition'stretches out flat, as shown in Fig. 2, and

the dimensions of this sheet are such that when wrapped upon the cylinder it will be nearly if not quite as wide as the cylinder is long rnd of such length that its longitudinal edges will almost meet. These longitudinal edges are provided with heavy metalI strengthening-strips c c upon the outer sides of the edges and rigidly and strongly secured thereto. At their -centers these strips are provided with corresponding openings, each closed on its outer side by a bridge or bar f. The opening in one strip has the lower end of a bearing-block d located therein and permanently secured or mounted on thebar f thereof, so that the screw-threaded openinge of the block will be located theleast distance possible above the outer side of the strip. The opening f in the opposite stripis adapted to receive the removable loose bearing-block g, which is provided with a hook on its lower` end to detachably engage the bar f of said opening f, in which block a smooth-faced portion of one end of the clamping shaft or bolt h is permanently journaledthe bolt being extended through the block and provided on its outer end with an operating-crank, while the opposite portion of the bolt is threaded and passes through and works in said nonremovable pivoted bearing-block d.

The operation of the device is as follows: The clamping-bolt having been loosened so that the hook of the loose bearing-block can be removed from the opening in its edge of the pressure-sheet, said sheet is removed and allowed to assume its normal nat position. The rubber pads or blotters and the dampened copying-paper and the letter are then arranged properly upon the pressure-sheet with the written face of the letter upon the copyingpaper, and the pressure-sheet is then placed upon the periphery of the cylinder with the copying material between them, and the edges of the said sheet are drawn toward each other until the hook or base of the movable bearing-block can be inserted in the opening of the edge opposite to that upon which the screw-bearing is pivotally secured. The bolt IOO is then turned to wind up the screw, and the two edges are drawn toward each other and the pressure-sheet is uniformly tightened throughout upon the cylinder, whereby au even pressure is obtained throughout the entire surface of the letter. The pressure-sheet is preferably formed ot' leather with the metal binding-strips; or it can be formed of spring plete-steel normally tending to spread or straighten out dat when released. It should be observed that the bearings'for the screw rod or bolt are nearlyin the plane of the circle of the pressure-sheet, and hence the edges of the same are drawn directly toward vedel). other and the pressure evenly distributed throughout the entire sheet. The fact that the edges of the pressureesheet een be unjoined by unfztstening one of the bolt-bearings freni its edge and then the sheet een be laid out liet to receive the copying material is a great adrantage and improvement, as the sheet and peper, the., een be Wrapped directly upon the cylinder without catching the edges or disarrenging or bending the same,

as is the cese when the peper, rbc., erel first I wrepped on the eyilinder and then e cylindrical steel shell slipped on the cylinder; and, further, the copy obtained is perfect and uniforni throughout, as there are no overlapping' steel pressuregshells to crease and double' the paper, and as the edges of the paper lie under the edges of the pressure-sheet there is no portion of 'the part 7of the paper between the edges of said sheet, and hence receiving no pressure. This device isexceedingly cheap end simple, but one pressure-sheet is reA quired, and the screw-boltlms but one coutinuous thread, (te.

1What I claim isl. The combination, with the roller or cylinder, of e straight fiat pressure-sheet adepted to be wrapped upon said roller and upon which the copying materiel is laid, zt screwbolt to draw the edges of the sheet toward each other, and bearings -for said holt, one rigid and the other removably secured to its edge of the sheet, substantially as described.

2. rlhe combination, with the roller, of the flexible pressure-sheet, e screw bearing-block permanently secured to one edge, a bearingblock provided with e hook to removably catch in the opposite edge of said sheet, and zt serewebolt passing lthrough said blocks, substantially es described.

3. The combination, with the roller, of the leather or iiexible pressure-sheet having themetel strips secured toitslongitudiual edges, and the screw-bolt with its secured andreinovable bearings, whereby seid edges can be separated, substantiallyas described.

et. In e poi-table eopyingpress, the combination, with a cylinder, of e nrnially fiat flexible pressurel sheet separate from seid cylinder and adapted to be wrapped upon the same so thztt the edges of the sheet-will be located opposite, and vineens toY draw said edges toward each other or allow the same'to be separated when the sheet is to be removed, substantially es described.

In testimony that I claimy the foregoing as my own'I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

lfituesses: A. J. WRIGHT,

O. C. BECK. 

